Episode 2: A Friendly Dose of Deranged
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: ***SEQUEL TO "THE ISLE OF THE MENDER"*** When Hiccup is captured by Dagur, leaving behind a note of his capture, his friends race to his rescue. But when Hiccup escapes before they get there and returns to the Edge, the riders are talked into thinking Hiccup is dead.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: RACE TO THE EDGE SPOILERS!**

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 **Hey guys! :D What's up? Well, I hope you liked "The Isle of the Mender", and I hope you enjoy this one, too! I'm DEFINITELY going to have some seriously sinister fun writing it. :)**

 **So, anyways, that's all! :D Enjoy chapter 1! :D**

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"Okay…" said Fishlegs as he paced in front of the other riders; Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut watched him curiously. "Snotlout," said Fishlegs, pointing a long, smooth pointed stick at Snotlout, "you're going to be playing the part of Grimbeard the Ghastly."

"Oh, _yes!_ " cheered Snotlout, throwing his fist into the air. "Yes! Go Snotlout! Go Snotlout!" He sauntered off to the other side of the room, and Hookfang snorted at his rider's boastfulness. With a swishing tail, Hookfang knocked Snotlout off his feet, and Snotlout protested with a yelp of, _"OY!"_

"I don't understand why we're doing this," said Ruffnut.

"I don't understand anything," said Tuffnut.

"Guys, this is important," said Fishlegs. "We're reenacting the horrible tragedy of three hundred years ago. Alright, Ruffnut, Tuffnut…" He looked down at the sheet of paper in his hands, and then, he pointed his stick at them each in turn. "You two are going to be acting as the members of the dragon rebellion."

"On second thought," said Tuffnut, brightening up, "maybe this isn't so bad after all." He and his sister turned and began towards the other side of the room, where Snotlout was waiting. Then, they thought of something, and turned back towards Fishlegs.

"Wait," said Ruffnut. "What does a dragon rebellion do, exactly?"

"I'll give you the cue when it's your turn," said Fishlegs. "Okay...oh, hold on...Tuffnut, nevermind! Ruffnut will be a member of the dragon rebellion, and you will be playing the role of Thugheart."

"Heh heh, cool name!" said Tuffnut, grinning.

"Alright," said Fishlegs, "Astrid...you're going to be acting out the part of the dragon Furious."

"What? No!" said Astrid, crossing her arms angrily over her chest. "Why do _I_ have to act out the part of that dragon? Why not get Snotlout to do it instead of being Grimbeard the Ghastly?"

"Because _then_ ," said Fishlegs, _"you_ would have to be Grimbeard the Ghastly."

"Which would be hard to do," said Tuffnut, "because you don't have a _beard_. Unless you're considering growing one."

"Um, Snotlout doesn't have a beard either, Tuffnut," said Ruffnut flatly.

"What? He doesn't!?" said Tuffnut, and his eyes widened. "All these years...he lied to me!"

"Blah blah blah!" said Snotlout, mimicking the twins by making his hand "talk" like a puppet. "Can we just reenact this stupid battle and get it over with?"

Fishlegs growled angrily and rolled his eyes. "That's what I am _trying_ to do, Snotlout!" he said hotly, and then, he turned back to Hiccup. "And Hiccup...last but not least...you are going to be playing the role as Hiccup the Second."

"Huh," said Hiccup, shrugging. "Fitting."

"Hey!" said Tuffnut, beaming. "Hiccup and Hiccup have the same name!"

"I was named after Hiccup the Second," said Hiccup, moving to the other side of the room to stand beside the rest of the riders.

"What? No way!" said Tuffnut. "And that would make you Hiccup the...the...um...what comes after second?"

"Third," said Hiccup. "Hiccup the Third."

"Right!" said Tuffnut. "Heh, I knew that! Wait…" He paused, frowning. "How many Hiccup are there?"

"Let me guess," said Snotlout, rolling his eyes to the roof. "Three."

"No _way!"_ said Tuffnut. "Wow!"

"Guys, can we please focus?" said Fishlegs. "This is important!"

"I don't think it's important," said Tuffnut.

"Probably because you rarely _think_ ," said Snotlout.

"No, Fishlegs is right," said Hiccup. "If we're going to learn the history of Berk, why not learn it this way?"

"Exactly!" said Fishlegs. "Thank you, Hiccup! I've found over experience that the best way to learn, is to act it out! It makes the learning experience funner than ever! In which case…" Fishlegs pulled out a notebook and flipped to the appropriate page. "I will be the narrator," said Fishlegs, "and you will act out what I say, alright?"

"Alright," the others agreed, nodding.

"Okay!" said Fishlegs, beaming, and he looked down at the paper, and began to read.

" _Three hundred years ago, there once lived a wise but arrogant Chief named Grimbeard the Ghastly._ This is where you come in, Snotlout."

"Oh, right," said Snotlout, and he stepped into the light, already in his "Grimbeard the Ghastly" character, chest puffed in pride and hands balled into fists. "Oh, look at me! Wise, brave, all powerful Grimbeard the Ghastly! Bow to me, fools!"

" _Grimbeard's wife gave birth to a son,"_ said Fishlegs, _"and they named him Thugheart."_

"That's me!" cheered Tuffnut, leaping into the scene. "I'm Thugheart!"

Fishlegs cleared his throat.

"Right, sorry," said Tuffnut. "Carry on!"

" _And then,"_ Fishlegs went on, _"Grimbeard's wife gave birth to a second son. This one, they named Hiccup the Second."_

"Oh," said Hiccup, stepping forward. "Um, yeah, I'm Hiccup the Second."

" _But Hiccup the Second was born as a runt to the tribe of Berk,"_ said Fishlegs, _"and so, Grimbeard the Ghastly took his son to the top of the cliff and left him there."_

"Oooh, yes," said Snotlout, and he seized Hiccup by the arm and dragged him to the corner of the room. "Hiccup the Second, I hereby _banish_ you!"

"He's a baby right now, Snotlout," said Fishlegs, "you don't have to tell him he's banished."

"Oh, right," said Snotlout. "I leave thee, my runt of a son!" Snotlout turned and stormed opposite, back to the other end of the room.

" _But Hiccup the Second wasn't killed_ ," said Fishlegs. _"Instead, he was taken by dragons and raised by their kind. One dragon, named Furious, took to Hiccup the Second like a brother."_

"Oh, is that me?" said Astrid, crossing her arms and throwing her braid over her shoulder. At Fishlegs' nod, she moaned, "Fine," and stepped forward reluctantly.

"Now," said Fishlegs, "as I was saying, _Years later, when he was older, Hiccup the Second had a run-in with his father, Grimbeard the Ghastly, and Grimbeard welcomed Hiccup back with open arms_."

"Hiccup the Second," said Snotlout, bowing, "though I totally ditched you on a mountain when you were a newborn, I hereby welcome you back into the family."

"Thanks, _Dad_ ," said Hiccup.

" _Once he was welcomed back to Berk,"_ said Fishlegs, _"Hiccup the Second began to show his father that dragons weren't the monsters people thought them to be, and soon, Hiccup the Second became Grimbeard's favorite son, and Thugheart was pushed aside from his father."_

"Hiccup the Second, you're amazing," said Snotlout, putting his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Get lost, Thug-dung."

"It's Thugheart," said Tuffnut, crossing his arms.

" _This caused Thugheart to become very, very jealous,"_ said Fishlegs.

"Look at me," said Tuffnut, throwing his hands into the air. "I'm jealous. This is me, so envious I'm nearly green…"

"Are we done with this?"

"Not yet, Astrid," said Fishlegs, and then, he continued reading, _"And Thugheart plotted against Hiccup the Second. He lied to his father and said that Hiccup the Second planned to overthrow them with the dragons, and that dragons were cheating, murdering monsters. So, Grimbeard, furious with his son, set up a chess game in hopes of catching Hiccup the Second off guard."_

"Oooh!" said Snotlout. "Wait, we need a chessboard…"

"Got one!" said Ruffnut, and she pulled a large chessboard, pieces already set up, from a nearby cabinet and hauled it onto the table.

"Okay, Snotlout, you sit on the left," said Fishlegs, "and Hiccup, you sit on the right."

Once Hiccup and Snotlout had taken their seats, Fishlegs stepped back again, flipped the book open, and read once more.

" _During the game_ , _according to Grinbeard's scheme to rid himself of Hiccup the Second,"_ said Fishlegs, "...oh, Astrid, you're here, too...yeah, stand beside Hiccup...perfect... _Grimbeard drew his sword, stood, and plunged the blade straight through his son's chest_."

"Hey!" Hiccup protested, but Snotlout had already stood up and tackled him to the ground.

"Die, Hiccup the Second!" shouted Snotlout furiously. "Die!"

"Stay in character, Hiccup!" whispered Fishlegs harshly.

Hiccup sighed heavily. "Oh, no!" he cried, clutching his chest, dramatizing his voice and his actions. "The horror! Smote by one's own father! The terror, the horror! No! Think of the children! The poor children!"

"You're dying, Hiccup!" called Fishlegs.

"Right, sorry," said Hiccup. "UGH." He shut his eyes and fell limp beneath Snotlout, feigning death.

" _But before Hiccup the Second's death-"_ Fishlegs read on.

"Oh, wait, so I'm not dead yet?" said Hiccup, perking up.

Fishlegs sighed. "Not _yet_... _Hiccup the Second told his father the truth, that Thugheart had betrayed him, and that the dragons weren't evil. Only now did Grimbeard the Ghastly realize what he had done, but by then it was too late. Hiccup the Second died in his father's arms, his father's sword in his chest_."

Hiccup flopped back against the floor again, "dead", and Snotlout put the back of his hand against his forehead. "Oh, what sorrow!" said Snotlout dramatically. "I banish my son, welcome him back, and now I kill him! I regret it! What sorrow!"

" _Grimbeard the Ghastly was furious at Thugheart,"_ said Fishlegs, _"and so, he banished his son, making him the first Outcast."_

"YOU," said Snotlout, pointing at Tuffnut, "ARE _BANISHED!"_

"But I don't want to be banished!" whined Tuffnut.

"LEAVE MY PRESENCE," said Snotlout. "SHUN THE THUGHEART! _SHUUUNN!"_

" _But that was the least of their problems,"_ said Fishlegs. _"For the dragon Furious, hatred burning in him for his brother being slain by Grimbeard, led a dragon rebellion against him_. This is you, Astrid. Lead the rebellion."

"I don't _want_ to lead the rebellion," said Astrid, crossing her arms.

Hiccup giggled, and Snotlout jabbed him harshly in the ribs. "Hey! Dead people don't laugh, Hiccup."

"Sorry," Hiccup said, and then, he fell silent again.

"Astrid, please," said Fishlegs.

Astrid groaned. "Fine," she said, and then, "Oh, to death with Grimbeard the Ghastly! He killed Hiccup the Second! Slay him! Slay him!"

" _And so the dragon war began anew_ ," said Fishlegs, and he slammed his book shut. "The end."

"What?" said Hiccup, sitting up. "That's it? That's the end?"

"Wait, you mean there's no reunion?" said Ruffnut. "No nothing after that?"

"Well, obviously, Thugheart was the founder of the Outcast Tribe," said Fishlegs, "which wasn't really a good thing, of course. It passed down from father to son, and now we have Alvin the Treacherous, current Chief of the Outcasts. And of course, the Berkian throne inheritance passed down from generation to generation. And now our current heir to the throne is Hiccup the Third."

"Huh," said Astrid, frowning. "It's kind of weird to look back at where it all began, you know?"

"What happened before that?" asked Tuffnut, interested. "What about Hiccup the First?"

"Hiccup the First was not only a _Chief_ ," said Fishlegs, "but a _king_ , and not just a _king_ , but also the king of the entire archipelago. He made peace with the dragons while he lived, and the generations after him tried to follow in his footsteps, but...well...obviously, a lot of bad stuff happened, because by the time Hiccup the Second was born, dragons and vikings were at war again."

"History's a crazy thing," said Hiccup, getting to his feet and brushing off his shirt. "Well, I'm glad we had this little...history lesson, Fishlegs."

"Yeah," said Snotlout, nodding. "It was kind of fun to kill Hiccup."

"Thank you for participating," said Fishlegs, smiling. "See? I knew you would enjoy it!"

"Well, I'm going to do one last patrol around the Edge before it gets too late," said Hiccup, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at the door. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Night, Hiccup," said the twins and Snotlout.

"Oh, and make sure the Night Terrors are on duty before you head to bed," said Astrid, as Hiccup made for the door.

"I will," said Hiccup, and he left the Clubhouse with Toothless. As soon as they were outside, he mounted his dragon, and the Night Fury took off into the light of the setting sun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all _soooooooooooooooooooo_ much for all your continued support on this story! I'm glad you love it so much! :D Shout-outs: **

**Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Haha, yeah! :D Thanks! :D**

 **SilverGhostWolf: Thanks! :D**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Haha, thanks! :D Yeah, there'll be some Hiccstrid to come. ;)**

 **la-hija-de-Dios: Thanks a bunch! I'm glad you liked it! :D**

 **StarFlight13: Thanks! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: Hahaha, thanks! I'm glad you liked it! And you're welcome! I love putting nods to the books in my fanfictions. ;)**

 **SidheWolf5: Hahahahaha, thanks a bunch! :D I'm glad you liked that line! :D And I'm glad you enjoy the episodes so much! :D :D :D Thanks! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: I know, right? One of the biggest main themes of the books was "history repeats itself (and it certainly scares the living daylights out of me". I think you're right. If something were to happen to Hiccup, I doubt peace would continue for more than a few decades, if that. But it's hard to say. ;) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Animals Rule: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D That isn't a bad idea! I'll keep it in mind for a future fic, maybe! :D**

 **Jettara1: Thanks! :D**

 **Martyn: We shall see. ;)**

 **AquaticDragon: Thanks a bunch! :D Yeah, the story of Hiccup the Second, Grimbeard the Ghastly, and Thugheart is from the books. You should totally read the books sometime! They're a lot of fun! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: For these guys, danger is ALWAYS lurking. :D**

 **UpbeatGracie: Hahaha, seriously though! XD**

 **Guest (#1): Thanks! :D Maybe I'll check that story out! :)**

 **SnivyDragon: Yeah, just about. :D That's how it went for the Hiccups in the books. I like putting nods to the books in my fanfictions every now and then. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Crystallion12: Hahahahahahahahahaha! Welcome to my story! XD XD XD Thanks! :D DRAGONITES UNITE, MY FRIEND! :D**

 **wikelia: Thanks! :D Makes me happy! :D**

 **Guest (#2): Hahaha, yeah, thanks! :D**

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Hiccup and Toothless soared over the ocean after circling around the Edge, and now, they were checking to make sure enemy ships weren't approaching or hiding behind nearby sea stacks.

Toothless growled at Hiccup in question, and Hiccup shrugged. "I know Dagur hasn't found the Edge yet, bud," said Hiccup, "but we want to make sure he stays away from us. If he finds our base, it'll be a lot easier for him to sneak up on us. We need to make sure he doesn't find Dragon's Edge."

Toothless nodded in agreement and circled around the closest sea stack. Hiccup scanned his surroundings; nothing but blank, black sea, the moonlight, and other sea stacks off in the distance.

Hiccup pulled his notebook out of his satchel and flipped through the pages until he came to a map he had drawn of the sea stacks in the oceans surrounding the Edge. After sharpening his charcoal with his knife, he crossed out the places he and Toothless had searched, leaving three locations still unchecked.

"Well, we're pretty far out now," said Hiccup, folding the notebook and putting it, his charcoal, and his knife back into his satchel, "and I don't see anything yet...but let's check those sea stacks." He raised a hand and pointed in that direction. "Just to be safe."

Toothless nodded and circled back around, towards the sea stacks. Looking back on it, Hiccup was both immensely glad he had had Toothless check the sea stack, but at the same time, he wished they hadn't checked.

The instant Toothless rounded the sea stack, bolas shot up at them from the ocean, and Toothless didn't even have so much as a chance to swerve out of the way before his wings were caught by bolas, pinned to his sides, and he and Hiccup plummeted towards the ocean below.

But they never hit the ocean. Instead, they landed on something solid, hard, and wooden. When Hiccup finally managed to sit up, the large bola still pinned over himself and Toothless, he realized they had hit the deck of a ship.

But not just a ship.

A _Berserker_ ship.

Berserker soldiers closed in on them from all directions, holding crossbows, swords, axes, and other weapons. Hiccup glared at each of them individually, ready to grab his knife from his satchel, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. Even if he _could_ get his knife out without any of them noticing, there was no way he'd be able to cut the ropes before they used their weapons on him.

They were trapped.

Savage stepped forward, swinging his sword casually. He thrust it out at Hiccup and Toothless, and while Toothless growled threateningly at the blade, Hiccup glared harshly at Savage.

"I bet you aren't feeling so tough now, are you, _Hiccup?"_ taunted Savage. Toothless snarled, and Savage waved his sword warningly. "Don't you even _think_ about using a pathetic plasma blast, dragon," said Savage. "If you do, we'll fill you and your rider with arrows."

" _SAVAGE!"_ shouted a furious voice from nearby, and Savage instantly stiffened. His strong, intimidating demeanor was stripped from him violently, and he, shaking, got to his feet, hand moving to his temple in a salute.

"D-Dagur!" said Savage, voice shaking. "Sorry, sire."

The crowd of Berserkers parted, and Dagur stepped between them, looking as deranged and psychotic as ever, axe swung casually over his shoulder though he glared at Savage with the malice of a starving Monstrous Nightmare who had been stripped from its meal.

"I told you," said Dagur, lowly and threateningly to Savage, "not to talk with the prisoners. Especially Hiccup. Did I not make myself clear before?"

"You did, Dagur!" insisted Savage, nodding feverishly. "You did, Sire! Sorry, Sire!"

"Then _get out of my sight!"_ shrieked Dagur, and Savage instantly turned and raced off, towards the stern of the ship, as far away from Dagur as possible. "That's better!" said Dagur, and now, he stepped towards Hiccup and Toothless.

"I trust you find yourselves at home, brother?" said Dagur, getting down on one knee so he was eye-level with Hiccup. "You know, Hiccup, I really hope you don't mind all this. I mean, you bring it upon yourself, really. _Let's check over there, just to make sure it's safe!_ Oh, _please_ , brother. It's like you don't even know me."

Hiccup glared harshly.

Dagur clicked his tongue.

"Aww, don't be like that, Hiccup," said Dagur, grinning. "We have so much catching up to do." He lifted his head towards his men. "Set a course for home!" he called to his men. "And when we get there, we'll decide once and for all what to do with Hiccup and his little Night Fury pest."

"You know I can hear you, right?" said Hiccup, twirling a finger around his ear. Without Dagur seeing, he had pulled a piece of paper from his notebook, his knife, and his charcoal.

"SILENCE!" snapped Dagur, heading towards the bow of the ship. "Next stop: Berserker headquarters! Today is definitely my day!"

While the members of Dagur's crew turned to do what Dagur had commanded, Hiccup scribbled a small note onto the piece of paper and stuck his knife through it. Then, when he was sure no one was looking, he threw the knife towards the sea stack.

The knife, note attached to it, embedded in the side of the sea stack, and as Dagur and his Berserker ship sailed off, Hiccup just hoped that somehow, his friends would find his message.

…

Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and Astrid sat on the benches surrounding their round table at the center of the Clubhouse. Snotlout flicked a piece of charcoal across the tabletop absentmindedly while the twins arm-wrestled. Fishlegs tossed Meatlug a few pieces of stone, and Astrid drummed her fingers against the table.

Finally, Snotlout groaned, balled his fists, and slammed them both down on the table, making everyone present, including the dragons, jump. "Ugh, we've waited for hours!" said Snotlout furiously. "I say we go out and give Hiccup what for!" He pounded his fist into his open palm for emphasis.

"We're not punching Hiccup, Snotlout," said Astrid flatly.

"This is weird," said Fishlegs, scratching his chin. "Hiccup is hardly ever late…"

"Well, why does he have to be late on the one day of the week _he_ has to bring breakfast?" said Snotlout angrily. "I'm _starving!"_

"You aren't starving, Snotlout," said Astrid flatly. "I'm sure Hiccup got carried away with the patrol last night. He probably fell asleep at some random location. It wouldn't be the first time he's done it."

"But," said Snotlout, "if I have anything to say about it, it _will_ be the _last_." He punched his fist into his palm again.

" _No, Snotlout_ ," hissed Fishlegs, and Snotlout growled.

"This is weird," said Astrid, and she got to her feet. "Come on," she said, "we should go make sure he's alright."

"Good idea," said Fishlegs, getting to his feet, and beside him stood Tuffnut and Ruffnut.

"If it means we get to eat sooner," said Ruffnut, "we'll do anything."

"Aw, come on, guys!" said Snotlout. "I don't know why you're bothering with all this. I mean, seriously!"

But Snotlout was ignored. Astrid, Fishlegs, and the twins made for the door, and after a moment, Snotlout groaned heavily and followed them. He didn't exactly have another choice.

…

Fishlegs swung the door of Hiccup's hut open, looking around for any sign of the dragon rider and his dragon. "Hiccup!" called Fishlegs into the empty room, but only his echo replied. "Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, quieter the second time, and his echo mocked him once again. "Toothless?" Nothing.

No one was home.

Beside him, Meatlug growled nervously, and Fishlegs was quick to embrace her around the neck.

"Don't worry, girl!" said Fishlegs. "We'll find him! Come on, let's go see if the others found anything yet…" He mounted Meatlug, and Meatlug soared towards the riders' designated meeting place.

…

Snotlout sat atop Hookfang's back, and the Monstrous Nightmare soared over the sky, over the training ring, the archery course, the Clubhouse, and finally, the surrounding beaches. "Hiccup!" he called, cupping his hand around his mouth. "Come on, you lazy idiot!"

Nothing.

Snotlout groaned. " _Hiccup!"_ he shouted, louder the second time, but still nothing. After this, Snotlout turned Hookfang and headed towards the forest.

…

Astrid and Stormfly flew over the shoreline of Dragon's Edge, over the rockslide terrain of Thor's Hammer, circling over caves, crevices, and caverns. She checked rock crannies, and then, after deeming the area free of Hiccup and Toothless, doubled back around to the Edge.

"Hiccup?" she called into the wind, but she wasn't honestly expecting a reply. Wherever Hiccup was, he wasn't around here. Astrid checked inside the Night Terror lookout towers, just to make sure he wasn't there - and just like she thought, he wasn't.

"Toothless!" she called; she was aware that the dragon had better hearing than Hiccup did, but even now, she received no response. "Come on, Stormfly, let's go find the others," she said, and Stormfly chirped her agreement and soared off.

…

"Hiccup!" called Ruffnut and Tuffnut, soaring over the forest of the Edge, and then, flying over the ocean. Barf and Belch dove beneath the waves of the ocean, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut shouted _"Hiccup!"_ under the water. Then, their dragon shot back from the waves and into the sky.

"Ugh, this is pointless," muttered Ruffnut. "I doubt Hiccup's even out here!"

"We mustn't give up hope, dear sister," said Tuffnut dramatically, putting his hand on his chest. He suddenly looked down at a nearby sea stack and gasped. "Hey, sis!" he said. "I think I found something to cheer you up!"

Ruffnut groaned. "What!?" she snapped.

"There's a knife embedded in that sea stack over there!" said Tuffnut, pointing. "I say we go retrieve it!"

Ruffnut looked down, squinting. "What's that on the knife?" she said, putting her hand on her forehead to shield her eyes from the sunlight. "It looks like a piece of paper…"

"Huh," said Tuffnut. "That's weird."

"Let's go check it out!" said Ruffnut, and their dragon soared towards the knife - the knife _and_ the note that Hiccup had put there shortly after his capture.

…

Hookfang, Meatlug, and Stormfly landed in the forest at the same time, and their riders dismounted. "Anything?" Astrid asked, charging over to Snotlout and Fishlegs.

"Nothing," said Fishlegs, checking things off his fingers. "I checked his hut, the stables, the dome...he's no where."

"He's not in the training ring," said Snotlout, "or over by the archery field, or in the forest, or on the beaches...it's like he disappeared."

"What about you?" asked Fishlegs. "Did you find anything, Astrid?"

Astrid shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "And I looked in the Night Terror watch towers, the oceanside, Thor's Hammer, the rock crannies, the plateaus...there's nothing."

"Weird," said Snotlout. "It's like he isn't even on the Edge anymore."

Fishlegs looked around for a moment, and then, up at the sky. "Where're the twins?" he asked.

"Probably bailed out," said Snotlout casually, but not without anger. "You know them, always skimping out on their work."

"Oh contraire, dear Snotlout!" called Tuffnut from above, and when the other riders looked up, Barf and Belch soared in with Tuffnut and Ruffnut mounted on their back. The twins dismounted and approached the other riders, hands behind their back.

"Greeeaat," said Snotlout, rolling his eyes, "the twins are here. Did you find Hiccup? Did you even know we were _looking_ for Hiccup?"

"No," said Tuffnut, "we didn't find Hiccup, but we _did_ find something that can answer all our questions!"

"It's not a stick of dynamite again, is it?" asked Snotlout

"No," said Tuffnut, "but it's not a bad idea, actually...no, wait, don't get off subject...we found _this!"_

He thrust forward a knife, and on the blade of the knife was a folded piece of parchment. Fishlegs gasped and raised a shaking finger to point. "That's Hiccup's knife," he said, and Astrid reached forward to snatch the knife from Tuffnut's hands.

"Where did you find this?" she demanded as she checked it over.

"On a sea stack in the middle of the ocean," said Ruffnut casually. "It was pretty far out there."

"What does the note say?" Snotlout asked, and Astrid pulled the note from the knife, opened it, and read it out loud for the other riders.

"It's Hiccup," said Astrid. "He says, _The Berserkers have me and Toothless and are heading due North. If you double around you can cut them off. They have one ship and minimal weapons. Be careful. Hiccup."_

"How do we know Hiccup wrote that?" asked Snotlout, stepping forward. "How do we know Dagur isn't trying to trick us into going North, where he has an entire armada waiting to shoot us out ot the sky?"

"This is definitely Hiccup's handwriting, Snotlout," said Astrid, "and everything's spelled correctly. I doubt _Dagur_ could do that."

"Fair point," said Snotlout.

"And besides," said Fishlegs, "that's also Hiccup's knife. You can see charcoal smudges on it from when Hiccup sharpens his pencils. Hiccup left the note for us to find, so we could follow him and the Berserkers."

Astrid looked down at the note, at the knife, and then back up at the others.

"Mount up, riders," she said determinedly. "I hope you guys are up to a fight against the Berserkers. We're heading North!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, amazingly beautiful and wonderful Dragonites! :D How's it going? :) So no shout-outs this chapter, unfortunately, but NEXT CHAPTER I promise there will be shout-outs, because I love you all so much! :D**

 **And...it's also my birthday today. XD**

 **Enjoy chapter 3! :D**

* * *

Dagur paced in front of the large, metal cage Hiccup and Toothless had been thrown in, swinging his axe at his side. The black night sky hung above them, numerous clouds hiding the stars and moon.

Toothless was muzzled, and Hiccup's hands were tied behind his back with chains. Armed Berserkers watched them from all directions, aiming crossbows at them to use should they try to escape.

"Sooo, brother," said Dagur cheerfully, stopping directly in front of Hiccup, "how should we do this? I have two options...but unfortunately, I can only use one…" He sighed. "If only I could use both...they're both so great…"

"We'll take naps and come back when you're ready," said Hiccup, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, you may have jokes now, Hiccup," mocked Dagur, "but we'll see how sarcastic you are after I'm through with you." He laughed maniacally, but Hiccup wasn't fazed.

"Two options, you said, Dagur," said Hiccup. "What are they?"

"Ooooh, yes, the two options," said Dagur, and he put his hands together fiendishly, rubbing them together. "The first option," he said, "is to behead you while I have the chance."

"Okay," said Hiccup, "that's a thought, but something tells me you don't want to do that just yet, do you, Dagur?"

"Well, yes," said Dagur. "You see, I was also thinking, what if I interrogated you, learned everything about Berk and its dragons, your puny little Dragon Eye, and _then_ behead you while the day is still young."

"Ah, well, that isn't a very good second option, Dagur," said Hiccup, shaking his head. "You know as well as I do that I'll never talk no matter what you do to me."

"Fair point," said Dagur, shrugging. "In which case, my option two can be to send word to Berk and demand they kneel at my feet for your life."

"Yeah, sorry, that isn't going to work," said Hiccup. "In case you haven't noticed, we have stubbornness issues. Nothing you do to me will make me talk, and nothing you do to them will make them bow. You're going to have to think of another second option there, Dagur."

Dagur groaned. "I guess I'll need to sleep on that one, brother," he said. "You, on the other hand...I want you to think about your options. You know, if you tell me all there is to know about Berk and the Dragon Eye, I might consider setting you and your precious Night Fury free."

Toothless growled warningly, and in response, Dagur only laughed. He headed away, below the decks of the ship, and a fair few - not all - of his men followed him. Hiccup watched them go, wondering what to do…there was still a large amount of men nearby…

He looked upwards at the mast of the ship, tall and towering over him and Toothless. He frowned, brows furrowed, and then, looked to the ropes holding the sail up. From there, his eyes went to Toothless' muzzle.

Finally, he ran his thumb along his chained wrists.

After a moment of thinking, he had an idea.

"Toothless," he whispered harshly, but quietly enough so the nearby Berserkers couldn't hear him, "I think I know how we can get out of here."

Toothless turned to him instantly, listening.

"The ropes holding up the sail," Hiccup whispered, jerking his head towards the ropes, and Toothless turned his head, acknowledged the position of the ropes, and then turned to face his rider again. "We'll have to move fast if we want to do it...if I can pull the muzzle off, do you think you can blast the ropes?"

Toothless pondered this for a moment, and then, he nodded eagerly.

"Good," said Hiccup. "We're busting out of here, and this is how we're going to do it..."

…

"Are you _sure_ you read the note right!?" asked Snotlout, shouting over the night sky to Astrid. "Did he say North, or did he say South!? I can't remember! We should go back and check!"

"You're just mad because you're tired, Snotlout," snapped Fishlegs back, which was very uncharacteristic of him, but nonetheless, Snotlout shut up. Even then, Fishlegs continued. "Hiccup's letter said North! That's where the Berserker ship is!"

Snotlout didn't answer, but that didn't mean he agreed. He crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air, as disagreeable as possible.

"Hiccup and Toothless' lives is at stake, Snotlout," said Astrid. "If it were you and Hookfang kidnapped by the Berserkers, Hiccup wouldn't hesitate to rescue you, and you know that."

"But I'm not like Hiccup!" said Snotlout. "Stop comparing me to him!"

"So, wait," said Tuffnut, raising a finger. "What are we going to do when we _find_ the Berserkers? Like, what happens then?"

"First, we'll get Hiccup and Toothless out of there," said Astrid, "make sure they're safe. Then, we'll use the bottles of Monstrous Nightmare gel and blast the ship into oblivion."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut brightened up immediately after hearing this. "O _kay!"_ said Tuffnut, nodding eagerly, grinning. "Sign me up! I call dibs on the first ship!"

"Oh, really?" said Ruffnut. "Well, I call dibs on the second ship!"

"There's only _one_ ship, guys!" said Fishlegs. "Remember what Hiccup said in the letter? Dagur and the Berserkers only brought one ship with them into our waters."

"Oh," said Tuffnut. "Well, in that case, I call _half_ of one ship-"

"-And I call the other _half_ of said ship," said Ruffnut, nodding.

"Alright," said Astrid, "as long as you remember to stay out of range of the arrows and catapults. We don't know what Dagur's capable of yet, so until then, we're going to have to stick with what we know."

"We know he'll be on a ship," said Snotlout, "which means we could sink it from below, too."

"I doubt that would work, Snotlout," said Fishlegs. "Wet dragon heads can't light their fires. If we're going to sink them from below, we're going to have to use weapons, like axes or something to break holes through the ship."

"Or," said Tuffnut, "we could blow up the entire ship! Bwahahahahahaha!"

"It doesn't matter _how_ we do it as long as we get it done," said Astrid. "Come on! The sooner we make it to Dagur's ship, the sooner we can get Hiccup out of there, and get back home!"

"I'm with you there!" said Snotlout, and Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch soared on, faster than ever, due North.

...

Toothless growled as a Berserker paced in front of their cage, crossbow tossed over his shoulder. Hiccup looked around; two Berserkers were pointing crossbows at Hiccup and Toothless from the stern of the ship, and two more Berserkers talked and joked near the bow of the ship.

Toothless growled again, this time at Hiccup, and Hiccup sighed. "I don't like this plan any more than you do, Toothless," he whispered as quietly as possible, so the Berserker pacing in front of them couldn't hear him, "but we don't have a choice. If the others even _find_ the note, I'd rather we leave and go to them rather than them come to us and fight Dagur. It's more dangerous that way."

Toothless growled a third time, but this time, it was in reluctance, because he knew Hiccup was right and still didn't feel good about the plan.

"Alright," Hiccup said, "are you ready, bud?"

Toothless nodded, eyes narrowed in determination, and Hiccup waited for just the right moment to act. First, they needed to distract the guards long enough to get Toothless' muzzle off. After that, everything would be easy.

Hiccup paused, timed his move, and as the pacing guard turned to continue walking, Hiccup stuck his leg between the bars of the cage, and the Berserker tripped, falling flat on his face, crossbow getting flung from his grip.

The two Berserkers who had been laughing and joking stopped, and they approached the fallen Berserker angrily, crossbows at the ready.

"What are you doing, you clumsy oaf!?" snapped the first Berserker, jabbing a thumb at the fallen Berserker, who was just getting to his feet.

"What am _I_ doing!?" snapped the Berserker who had been pacing, slapping the other Berserker's hand away. "That brat tripped me!" He pointed a thick, accusing finger at Hiccup.

Hiccup shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Blame your clumsiness on the one-legged prisoner," he said. "I'm surprised the Berserkers would stoop that low. I mean, you're a _proud_ tribe, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are!" said the first Berserker. "And we can't be a proud tribe if we're a couple of clumsy oafs!"

The other two Berserkers, standing at the stern of the ship, turned and looked at each other, lowering their guard. Even from a glance, Hiccup could tell they were silently laughing, entertained immensely by their fellows' feuds.

"I am _not_ shaming the tribe!" said the pacing Berserker furiously. "And who are _you_ to say that I am!? You're the one over there joking around when we're supposed to be watching the prisoner!"

"He _does_ have a point," said Hiccup, shrugging. "You _were_ kind of slacking."

" _Thank you!_ " said the pacing Berserker to Hiccup, and then, to his fellow, "There, you see? If anyone's shaming the Berserkers, it's _you!_ "

" _ME!?"_ blurted the first Berserker. He rolled up his sleeves and balled his fists. "Maybe when I'm through with you you'll think twice about insulting me…"

"Well, yeah," said Hiccup, "that was _totally_ uncalled for. No one has the right to insult you."

"See!?" said the Berserker, gesturing to Hiccup. "Even _he_ agrees with me!"

The pacing Berserker growled, narrowing his eyes.

"Here we go, Toothless," Hiccup whispered. "Get ready...aaaannndd…"

The Berserkers tackled each other to the ground, dragging the third Berserker down with them. On the other side of the ship, the remaining Berserkers lowered their crossbows and hurried over to break up the fight.

"Now, Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, and, after wrestling with himself quite a bit, he managed to grab Toothless' muzzle between his chained hands and yank it clear off the dragon's face. Toothless sucked in a deep breath and fired a single bright purple plasma blast at the ropes; the ginormous sail of the ship fell to the decks, falling over the Berserkers like a giant net, trapping them effortlessly.

"Nice shooting, bud!" Hiccup complimented, as Toothless fired a much smaller plasma blast at one of the links on Hiccup's chain. The chain snapped, and Hiccup pulled himself free. All the while, the Berserkers trapped beneath the sail of the ship screeched and shouted, but their voices were muffled. No one would be able to hear them.

"Fire at the lock, Toothless!" Hiccup said, and Toothless fired a third plasma blast at the lock of the cage. The cage door was blasted off his hinges and hit the ground nearby.

"Let's get out of here, Toothless!" Hiccup said, and he and his dragon ran from the cage.

…

Dagur was in the middle of enjoying a hearty dinner below the decks of his ship when Savage barreled through the door, panting heavily.

"Sire!" he shouted with purpose. "Commotion above the decks! I heard a dragon's fire!"

Dagur choked, coughed for a moment, and then, wasted no more time in chasing after Savage, to the decks of the ship.

Savage and Dagur burst through the hatch leading to the upper decks, but just as they reached their destination, Hiccup mounted Toothless, and the Night Fury took to the sky, faster than an arrow.

Hiccup and Toothless were gone.

Hiccup looked back over his shoulder as Dagur's scream of deranged fury echoed throughout the terrain. "Alright, bud," Hiccup said, "let's get back to Dragon's Edge due East. Maybe the others didn't find my note and are still waiting there."

Toothless nodded and rocketed onwards, towards his destination.

Dragon and rider were unaware of the team of other dragons and riders making a beeline for Dagur's ship from the North, and in turn, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, and their dragons were unaware of Hiccup and Toothless' escape.


	4. Chapter 4

**HELLLOOOOOOO! :D Shout-outs:**

 **la-hija-de-Dios: Thanks! :D Yep! Hiccup is way too good at making his enemies irritated at each other. XD Thanks! I'm glad you liked those scenes! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Gamer Spice: Thanks! :D Haha! :D**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Yep! Oh dear. XD**

 **pinkpop002: Thank you! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: Yup, just about. Just one wrong turn after the other. :D Thank you! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: True that. :D Thanks! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: No, she will not. Dagur doesn't know what he's getting into, does he? XD**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yep! Hiccup escaped! And it is a shame the others don't know it...:( But they'll know it soon enough! :D And adorableness! Yay! :D**

 **Animals Rule: Thanks! :D :D :D**

 **ngel Azul: Thanks a bunch! :D I love writing. :) And thanks! :D I'll be between the ages of thirteen and sixteen (I'm not going to give out my actual age :D). Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Jo: Seriously though, Hiccup. Couldn't you have just waited for your friends? XD**

 **xBubbleGirlx: Thanks a bunch! :D**

 **Nightfuryrider54: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it, too! :D Frankly, I don't know the exact release date of RttE season 3, but we're promised 13 episodes every six months or so, so I'm guessing it'll come out either late June or early July. Quite possibly August, too. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **wikelia: Thanks so much! :D I'm glad you like it! :D And I, too, am looking forward to writing "Tread Lightly." XD**

 **CerebralCortex31: Thanks! :D**

 **Prince Maggie: Thanks! :D :D And yes! I did know I shared a birthday with the queen of England! :D Happy birthday to your mom! :D**

 **Crystallion12: Yep, not good. :D**

 **Starry Roses: THANK YOU! :D And yeah, seriously! Why didn't Hiccup do that!? XD**

 **Coka-Cola 1.0: Thanks! :D The next chapter is NOW! :D**

* * *

"NO!" Dagur screamed, digging his hands into his scalp, pulling furiously at his hair. "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, _NO! IDIOTS!"_ When the Berserkers finally pulled themselves from underneath the sail of the ship, Dagur knocked each of them unconscious with the flat of his axe. "I COULD'VE HAD HIM!" shouted Dagur. "I _DID_ HAVE HIM! I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE! I KNEW IT!"

Savage gulped and licked his dry lips, unsure of how to respond. Dagur, still breathing heavily, finally managed to regain _some_ composure, and when he did, he glared up at the sky.

" _Hiccup_ ," he hissed. "What I wouldn't give to _wring_ that scrawny little throat of yours…" He twisted his hands for emphasis, and them, threw them in the air above his head once more. "AGH! Savage, rally up some of the men and mend the sail! We'll regroup on our base, and when we come back, we'll bring the entire Berserker armada!"

He stooped down, picking the chain that had bound Hiccup's hands off the deck of the ship, examining it. The metal still smoked from the sweltering heat of Toothless' plasma blast.

Dagur clenched his fist around the chain, teeth gritted behind his lips.

"Soon, brother," he drawled. " _Soon_."

For a few moments, there was nothing but Dagur and a few men who had followed Savage to start the repairs, and nearly half an hour later, the sail was back in its place, and the men took up their places as lookouts once again.

It wasn't until shortly after that, just as dawn began to stretch over the sea, that one of Dagur's Berserkers suddenly shouted, "DAGUR! DRAGON RIDERS APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTH!"

Dagur raced over, knocked the Berserker overboard, and took the soldier's spyglass from the ground. He raised it to his eye and looked.

Through the spyglass, he saw Astrid on Stormfly, Fishlegs on Meatlug, Snotlout on Hookfang, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut on Barf and Belch. After a moment of thought, he lowered the spyglass once more, grinning.

And then, he chuckled, and the chuckle slowly but surely turned into a loud, barking, maniac laugh. Savage approached, confused.

"What is it, Dagur, sire?" asked Savage.

Dagur tossed Savage the spyglass, still grinning and gloating over his plan. " _We_ might know that Hiccup escaped," said Dagur, and then, he pointed at the approaching dragon riders. "But _they_ don't."

Savage lowered the spyglass, grinning fiendishly. "You _are_ deranged, Sire," said Savage, nodding.

Dagur smiled bigger than ever. "I know," said Dagur. "Now…" He glanced back up at the dragons and riders, and then back at his crew, rubbing his hands together. "We have work to do."

...

Daybreak. The sun rose beyond the horizon, and rays of light stretched across the sky. Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins soared on their dragons through the sky, searching frantically for any sign of Dagur's ship.

They finally came upon Dagur's ship, sailing almost innocently through the ocean below, and the instant they did, Astrid was the first to react, pointing feverishly at the wooden ship as soon as it came into sight.

"There!" she called to the other riders, who instantly swarmed around her to look at what she was pointing at. "Berserker ship below! That's definitely Dagur's warship! That must be where Hiccup is!"

"Okay!" said Fishlegs, and though his voice wavered slightly, he also sounded determined. This was for Hiccup, who would do literally _anything_ for the rest of the riders, and when Fishlegs reminded himself of this, it gave him courage. "Remember the plan!"

"Destroy Dagur first and ask questions later!" said Ruffnut, throwing her hands into the air excitedly.

"And if there be no time," said Tuffnut, also throwing up his hands, "skip the questions! Questions are for people who want to know stuff, and we have found that life is simpler if we're clueless throughout it!"

"That's a _bad_ thing!" snapped Snotlout.

"Well, we wouldn't _know_ that," said Ruffnut back at him, "because we _don't_ think!"

"This," said Snotlout, putting up one finger, "is _painfully obvious!"_

"No one is shooting the ships until we get Hiccup and Toothless out of there!" shouted Astrid, breaking up the fight between the twins and Snotlout effortlessly "Get Hiccup out of there first, and _then-"_

"We destroy everything?" asked Tuffnut hopefully, brightening up.

Astrid grinned. "Yep!" she said. "We destroy everything! Dragons, down! And watch out! Dagur could have archers, catapults, bola shooters, and who knows what else!"

The other riders nodded their agreements and followed Astrid downwards, towards the ship below. Fishlegs observed more carefully than the others, expecting a rain of arrows and shower of boulders to greet them as they arrived, but oddly enough, nothing happened.

Fishlegs frowned, brow furrowed.

"Um...Astrid?" he said. "Don't you think it's a little weird that Dagur's men aren't firing at us?"

"Maybe they can't see us?" said Snotlout.

"No, they can definitely see us," said Fishlegs, pointing below. "Look. That Berserker has a spyglass."

"Are they armed?" asked Astrid.

"Yes," said Fishlegs. "They _have_ crossbows, and they _have_ bola shooters, and catapults, but they aren't _using_ any of them."

"Huh...suspicious," said Tuffnut, stroking an imaginary beard. "Hey, if they aren't going to use their advanced weaponry, we could always take it off their hands-"

"Something's wrong," said Snotlout. "If they really have Hiccup and Toothless, why wouldn't they be trying to stop us? They _have_ to know we've come to rescue them, right? Dagur and his Berserkers have always been stupid, but _no one_ could be _that_ stupid."

"I don't know, Snotlout," said Astrid. "Let's see if they'll shoot at us at closer range. Stormfly, down!" Stormfly obeyed, doing a quick circle around the ship before landing on the decks. The Berserkers didn't even raise their weapons against the dragon and rider.

Beside and behind Astrid landed Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins on their dragons, and they looked around at the Berserkers suspiciously. The Berserkers didn't seem very daunted by the fact that dragon riders had landed on their ship.

Astrid frowned. "This doesn't make any sense," she said. "Why aren't you trying to stop us!?" she demanded to the nearest Berserker. In response, the Berserker merely grinned, which could have meant a number of things.

It unnerved Fishlegs more than anything. He recoiled, grimacing. "Okay," he said. "I am one hundred percent terrified."

"Yeah," said Snotlout. "I hate to admit it, but I'm with you there, Fishlegs. Guys? Do me a favor, would you? If I live to see tomorrow, kill me."

A familiar, maniac laugh rang through the ship, and Dagur stepped forward, cackling and clapping his hands together. "Ah, my friends!" he said, walking straight towards the dragon riders, completely at ease. He carried no weapons, no crossbows, not even a knife at his belt. No _nothing_.

Stormfly raised her tail threateningly, spikes sticking straight up like gigantic spearheads, but Dagur simply dismissed this, still approaching Astrid.

"Look," said Dagur, right in her face, "I know you probably think you and your little dragon riding team are pretty cool, coming here to face me head-on and what not, but unfortunately, I'm here to tell you, missy, that it is completely unnecessary. Your services are no longer required. You may leave."

He spun on his heel and sauntered in the opposite direction. When none of the riders made a move to take to the sky, Dagur looked back at them, confused.

"Well?" he said. "What are you waiting for? _Shoo!"_

"What have you done with Hiccup?" Astrid demanded, lowly and threateningly, sliding off Stormfly's back, onto the decks of the ship. At this, Dagur paused, tapping his chin as if pondering. Astrid, patience long gone, drew her axe and began taking large, stomping, furious steps towards Dagur.

"What. Have you done. With Hiccup?" Astrid demanded again. "I will not repeat myself a third time."

Dagu looked at her, and then, just as he had when the riders first arrived, he cackled once again. "Oh, Astrid!" he said. "You and the riders have always brought the funny! Especially Hiccup!"

Astrid glared at him and raised her axe threateningly.

"Alright, alright, no need to get hasty," said Dagur, putting up his hands defensively. "We have all day, Astrid."

"Where is Hiccup?" said Astrid. "I promise on my _life_ , Dagur, if you've hurt him-"

Dagur shook his head. "I didn't _hurt_ him, per se," said Dagur. "I just, you know…" He snapped his fingers. "Poof. Disposed of him. He shouldn't be bothering me again."

"Where is he?" Astrid snarled, and this time, she swung her axe forward, aiming it straight at Dagur's throat.

"The real question isn't where Hiccup _is_ , Astrid," said Dagur. "The real question is, where Hiccup _was_. You see, normally when I 'dispose' of people, I go out of my way to do a thorough job of it."

"I will kill you, Dagur," said Astrid, pressing the very tip of her blade into Dagur's throat. "Don't think I won't."

"Ah, well, do as you must," said Dagur. "My life goal is complete. I can die happy."

Astrid narrowed her eyes.

Dagur groaned. "Oh, is it not painfully obvious where Hiccup is, Astrid?" he said, exasperated. "I thought it would be obvious! The reason we didn't bother you as you flew in just now, is because it was never about _any_ of _you_ imbeciles. It was always about Hiccup and his Night Fury. That's how our rivalry started…" He looked across the ship, where his axe laid on the decks. "...And that's how our rivalry ended," said Dagur.

"What do you mean?" snapped Snotlout, also getting off his dragon, with the twins and Fishlegs doing the same around him.

"Don't you see?" said Dagur. " _Hiccup is dead!"_

For a few moments, the area was enclosed in silence. The occasional wave crashed against the bow of the ship. No one made a move. Astrid slowly withdrew her axe, never once taking her eyes off Dagur's face.

This time, it was _Astrid_ who broke into mirthless, hysteric, almost maniac laughter, and as she did so, a fury burned behind her eyes unlike any other. She gritted her teeth, swinging her weapon forward again, ready to use it.

"You're lying," she snarled. "I know you're lying, Dagur. You wouldn't kill Hiccup."

"Oh, wouldn't I?" said Dagur, grinning. "Then tell me this, Astrid! If I really had Hiccup here, with me on my ship, why didn't I try shooting you out of the sky, hmm? If it makes you feel any better, I'll let you blow the ship to smithereens, search the ship all you want, or maybe just sink it, but I can promise you, Astrid, you won't find any sign of Hiccup, or his precious Night Fury on _this_ ship."

"You wouldn't have killed him!" said Snotlout, stepping forward, though even Snotlout looked torn. "You need him for information!"

"Information can be earned through other means than a scrawny, one-legged walking toothpick," said Dagur, spitting. "In fact, I could use _you_ lot for information, if I wanted to. Maybe you'd be a bit more cooperative now that you know your leader is dead."

Astrid swallowed. Dagur had to be lying. He had to be. Hatred and fury got in the way of logical thinking, and all she could think of was the fact that Dagur had kidnapped Hiccup. Dagur had wanted to kill Hiccup from the very beginning.

All Astrid knew was that Hiccup was nowhere to be seen, and Dagur was here, claiming to her face, that he was Hiccup's murderer.

Big mistake.

 _Big mistake_.

With a scream of fury unlike no other, Astrid threw her axe aside and flat-out _tackled_ Dagur to the ground.

And all throughout the ship, battle commenced.


	5. Chapter 5

**Heeeellllloooooo awesome ones! :D How's it going, fantabulous Dragonites? :) So, sorry, no shout-outs this chapter, but THE NEXT chapter will have shout-outs, I promise you that! :D Anyways, enjoy chapter 5! :D**

* * *

Toothless alighted on the platform in front of the Clubhouse back on the Edge, and as soon as he did, Hiccup leapt off the dragon's back and charged towards the doors. He threw them open, raced inside, and froze.

Satchels were gone. Weapons were missing. Saddlebags were nowhere to be seen. One lone spyglass sat on the shelf, normally accompanied by five others. Chests were opened, having been searched, and Snotlout's axe, which had been on the table last time Hiccup was here, was gone, along with Astrid's axe, which usually sat against the wall.

Hiccup's shoulders slumped. He stepped forward, Toothless heading behind him, towards the table, and to the only thing placed on it.

A knife, and a piece of paper.

More accurately, _Hiccup's_ knife, and the note he had stabbed to the sea stack for his friends to find. Hiccup swallowed, took the knife into his hands, and looked down at the floor.

"They're gone," he said. "It's all my fault…I shouldn't have left them that note!"

Toothless bumped him from behind, but Hiccup wasn't comforted. He spun around, sheathed his knife, and raced back out of the Clubhouse. "Come on, bud!" he shouted back over his shoulder at Toothless, who came running as soon as he was called. "We're going back to Dagur's ship!"

Toothless nodded, Hiccup mounted him, and they soared North, back to the ship they had recently escaped.

…

Astrid and Dagur hit the decks of the ship, Astrid coming in on top, and she punched and slapped Dagur for all he was worth. When he finally fought back, she was ready for him; he hadn't been ready for her attack, which already gave her an advantage.

Across from her and all throughout the ship, Berserker soldiers raised previously unseen weapons into sight and charged. Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut ran to meet them in battle, weapons raised over their head and screams of immense fury tearing from their throats.

Ruffnut ducked and ran between the legs of the first Berserker she was put up against, and while he spun to see where she had gone, she whacked him upside the head with the handle of her spear, and the Berserker fell to the ground, unconscious.

Another Berserker came up on Ruffnut, and Ruffnut was ready for this one. She tackled him not unlike the way Astrid had tackled Dagur, only this time, she maintained a firm grip on her weapon. She grabbed the Berserker's axe from his hand and slammed it against his helmet; the Berserker was unconscious instantly.

Ruffnut leapt to her feet and tripped an approaching Berserker. After that, the Berserkers who remained were a bit more hesitant on coming against her, and instead went for the other riders.

...

Fishlegs wasn't an agile swordsman, but he _did_ have a good left-hook, which made knocking Berserkers unconscious almost painfully easy. Plus the fact that he was partially driven by fear, and partially driven by anger.

Suddenly, he heard Meatlug roar, and when he spun around to see what was the matter, he saw that a Berserker had thrown a net over his beloved dragon when she came to Fishlegs' rescue, and if this wasn't enough to infuriate Fishlegs, nothing was.

"Meatlug!" he shouted, and then, with a shout of fury, he launched himself at the Berserkers holding the net down over Meatlug. A few knocks of his fist and slashes with his sword later, four Berserkers hit the ground unconscious, and Fishlegs wasted no time in throwing the net off of Meatlug.

"Sorry about that, girl," said Fishlegs, embracing his dragon, and then, he and Meatlug both turned, eyes narrowed, to the nearest Berserker. The lone Berserker swallowed hard, clutching his sword like a lifeline, looking torn between attacking and running away.

"Let's get him, girl!" said Fishlegs, and he and Meatlug lunged.

...

Snotlout swung his leg, catching an approaching Berserker in the ribs, and the Berserker was kicked to the side with a yelp of pain. Snotlout was on the Berserker instantly, and after raising his weapon, knocked the Berserker unconscious.

It was almost painfully easy to do.

Another Berserker approached, this time from behind, and Snotlout ran, kicked off the mast of the ship, and tackled the Berserker, slamming him to the ground with Snotlout's whole body weight. The impact of the Berserker's head against the wooden floorboards of the ship knocked him out cod, and Snotlout was quick to leap off him and race towards his next opponent.

A nearby Berserker aimed a crossbow at Snotlout, but before he had a chance to fire, Hookfang came up behind him, roared, and, with a swooping tail, knocked the Berserker off the ground and into the ocean below.

"Attaboy, Hookfang!" cheered Snotlout, pumping his fist into the air in triumph. Hookfang roared down at him as if saying, _Don't get used to it_ , and then, he and Snotlout turned and took on the next assailing Berserkers.

…

Tuffnut raced up against a Berserker, and then, just before they met in battle, Tuffnut looked up and gasped. "Oh my Thor, a flying yak!" he shouted, pointing wildly at the sky.

"What? Where?" shouted the Berserker, turning and looking up, and while he was distracted, Tuffnut knocked him unconscious with the handle of his spear, and the Berserker hit the ground.

"Hahaha!" laughed Tuffnut, pointing. "You actually thought there was a flying yak! Pathetic... _Loki'd!_ " And he raced off again, tackled a Berserker, and then, once that Berserker was taken care of, ran to help his sister.

Around them, the dragons were taking care of the archers and torching the catapults as the Berserkers loaded them. Stormfly wrecked crossbows with well-aimed, well-timed spine shots, and Meatlug, Barf, Belch, and Hookfang burned catapults and spare weapons to the ground. When Berserkers ran to stomp out the fire before it caught to the rest of the ship, the dragons and riders used this to their advantage and knocked them unconscious.

Meanwhile, at the very front of the ship, Astrid and Dagur still wrestled like two starving wolves over a piece of meat. And Astrid was winning, punching and kicking and scratching madly. She finally got ahold of her axe, and once she did, she raised it. Dagur just barely managed to catch her wrist before she brought the axe down on his head and knocked him out.

"I WILL ASK YOU," said Astrid threateningly, attempting to wrestle her wrist from Dagur's grip, like a backwards arm-wrestle, "ONE MORE TIME, DAGUR. WHERE. IS. HICCUP!?"

Dagur looked at her, and then, he, once again, grinned. Astrid's fury increased, but at the same time, her blood ran cold. She wanted to behead Dagur, then and there, but some part of her refused to move her hand.

Probably the part of her that spent the most time around Hiccup. The part that knew, no matter what happened, Hiccup would always go for the peaceful solution, the solution that would result in no bloodshed on either side.

Killing the Chief of the Berserkers would not be one such solution.

But the other part of Astrid - the part that had attacked Dagur in the first place, and the part closest to her axe - told her that the _easiest_ solution would be to kill Dagur and end it now.

But she didn't.

Dagur grinned at her, and Astrid gritted her teeth to the point of grinding them.

"I told you, Astrid!" said Dagur, smiling maniacally. _"Hiccup is dead!"_

His voice echoed throughout the entire ship.

And all at once, the tides turned.

At Dagur's shout, Snotlout hesitated mid-strike, and in his hesitation, the attacking Berserker took advantage of him, knocking him effortlessly to the ground and disarming him easily. Hookfang roared, but other Berserkers threw nets made from thick chains over the dragon and pinned him down, rendering him immobile.

Fishlegs had also paused at Dagur's shout, and it was also Fishlegs' biggest mistake. He and Meatlug were trapped by one giant chain-net, and Fishlegs was stripped of his weapon. Archers poised to fill them full of arrows should they attempt an escape.

Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Barf, and Belch were soon overcome by the remaining Berserkers, and the twins' hands were tied behind their backs, and their dragons were chained and muzzled.

"Hey! No!" shouted Tuffnut. "No one does that to our dragon, except for us! Let him go! Let _us_ go, now!"

But the Berserkers, obviously enough, did not let them go, nor did they release Barf, Belch, or any of the other dragons.

Just these mere words were enough to shock Astrid, but hearing them for what felt like the tenth time in the past hour was almost too much. She swallowed thickly and froze.

A moment of weakness.

The Berserkers grabbed her forearms from behind and yanked her off Dagur, wasting no time in tying her hands behind her back. But for the longest moment, Astrid didn't move. Couldn't move. Couldn't _think_.

It didn't seem possible.

Dagur was a lying, cheating monster. Of course he would lie about Hiccup's death. Of course he would. He was doing it to confuse them, yes, that was it, it had to be it, because there was _no way Hiccup could actually be dead_ , Astrid would never accept it, never, never, _never in a million years…_

But at the same time, why would Dagur lie? Dagur had definitely kidnapped Hiccup, and he had definitely kidnapped Toothless. Where were they? Dagur hadn't tried to prevent the riders' arrivals. He hadn't tried to prevent their attack until after they launched their assail.

And the dragons obviously hadn't caught Hiccup or Toothless' scents on the ship, else they would have acted, shown the other riders somehow that yes, Hiccup and Toothless were there…

Which meant that Hiccup and Toothless really _weren't_ there, which meant…

...what?

Because Astrid wasn't going to believe Hiccup was dead.

She _couldn't_.

"YOU'RE A _LIAR!"_ Astrid screeched at Dagur, and now that she finally found feeling in her body, she thrashed against the Berserkers hauling her away. She thrashed, and she kicked, and she screamed like a dying animal. _"YOU'RE A LYING, CHEATING, SICK, MONSTER, DAGUR-"_

"Take them below decks!" ordered Dagur, pointing at Astrid and the other dragons, as Stormfly was wrestled to the ground, chained, and muzzled, in the same predicament as the other dragons. "Lock them in the cages! Today, we celebrate, not only the death of my _dear brother_ -" Sarcasm dripped from his words like acid, "-but the victory over the dragon riders!"

" _NO!"_ screamed Astrid, thrashing all the harder. _"NO! WHERE'S HICCUP!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM!? DAGUR! LIAR! DECEIVER! I'LL KILL YOU, DAGUR! I'LL KILL YOU!"_

Dagur yawned. "And I'm sure I would believe you," said Dagur, "if you weren't my prisoners. Take them away!"

And as Astrid screamed threats, insults, and demands as the Berserkers dragged her and the other riders below the decks of Dagur's warship, Astrid had tears streaming down her face.

Because it couldn't be true.

But at the same time, how could it be a lie?


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! Sorry I didn't update sooner! This chapter took some plotting. :) Shout-outs:**

 **LunarCatNinja: Oh, yeah, I doubt Hiccup will be very happy when he learns what he told Astrid and the rest of the gang. I would NOT want to be in Dagur's shoes. :D**

 **MoonTheNightWing: DIE, DAGUR! DIE! :D**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Definitely not good! Hurry up, Hiccup! :)**

 **StarWarsMCDragonChick227: Hahahahahahahahaha! :D :D :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yeah. Poor Astrid. :(**

 **Dimensional Girl: Sorry! :(**

 **la-hija-de-Dios: Oh, I know, right? Poor gang! :( I'm sure I'll have Hiccup do the "hand-thing" sometime in a future episode. I'm like Fishlegs: I love it when he does the hand thing! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Animals Rule: Yes. Grief. Grief is sad. :(**

 **midnightsky0612: Yep. That defines their situation right there. :D**

 **Jo: Go Hiccup! Save them! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: BELIEVE IN HICCUP, ASTRID, _BELIEVE! :D_ DO NOT LOSE HOPE! :D Thanks! :D **

* * *

Snotlout, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut sat against the wall of their cell, staring at the ground. Across from them, their dragons were in separate cages, their wings pinned to their sides by giant chains and muzzles trapping their jaws together. Shackles fastened around their ankles kept them from clawing their muzzles, and

Stormfly's tail had immobilized to keep her from firing spine shots, and Hookfang was doused in water to keep the dragon from lighting himself ablaze.

Snotlout swallowed hard. "Dagur's lying," he said simply. "He has to be lying, you know? There's just no _way_ Hiccup is...Hiccup is...you know…" He paused and swallowed again. "Dagur wouldn't kill him," said Snotlout. "It isn't true. He's just saying it to throw us off."

Fishlegs looked up at Snotlout and shook his head, wiping his watering eyes with a sniffle. "Why would Dagur lie about it, Snotlout?" said Fishlegs. "And...and if he didn't kill Hiccup, where is he?"

"I don't know," said Snotlout. "Maybe Dagur had another ship take Hiccup and Toothless back to whatever base they have. You know?"

"No," said Fishlegs, "that wouldn't work. Hiccup said Dagur only had one ship, and by the time Dagur brought in a second ship, we would have been there. Dagur kidnapped Hiccup and Toothless, and...they aren't on the ship, that's for sure…"

"We cannot give up hope!" said Tuffnut, dramatically getting to his feet. "Hiccup would want us to be strong, wouldn't he? He wouldn't want us to give up! Never give up! Never surrender! Right? Can I get anyone to second that? Anyone? Astrid?"

Astrid swallowed with difficulty, staring down at the ground. None of the other riders answered Tuffnut.

"What?" said Tuffnut. "Am I talking to myself again? Can you guys not hear me? Am I talking out loud?"

"You're talking out loud, Tuffnut," said Snotlout flatly.

"Oh, great," said Tuffnut. "So why aren't you standing up? Come on! We have to-"

"Tuffnut, don't you get it!?" shouted Ruffnut, slamming her fist down on the ground. "It's _over!_ Hiccup is _dead!"  
_

Hearing it again was horrible, and Tuffnut looked at his friends in shock.

"You guys actually believe that?" he said. "There has to be some other solution! Maybe Hiccup escaped somehow with Toothless!"

"We would have passed Hiccup and Toothless on the way here, Tuffnut," said Fishlegs, shaking his head. "As much as I _want_ to believe that, I mean...I just don't know if I can get my hopes up…"

"We're at war," said Astrid flatly. "If Dagur killed Hiccup, he's declared war on us. When the rest of the Berkians find out, they're going to bring the entire army and wipe the Berserkers off the face of the earth."

She said it with such malice, with such hatred towards the Berserkers it was almost unsettling, and the other riders looked at her, half in agreement and half in terror.

"Astrid," said Fishlegs, "you know Hiccup wouldn't want war. Maybe there's still some way to-"

"Hiccup didn't want a lot of things, Fishlegs," said Astrid. "Dagur brought this on himself. It isn't our fault, or our doing. Dagur has to answer to his actions, and he's going to answer to Berk, to Stoick, and to _us_."

The riders exchanged glances.

They knew she was right.

"All right," said Snotlout. "So, what do we do, Astrid?"

"We find some way to escape," said Astrid firmly, "and when we do, we don't hold anything back. We'll attack the Berserkers for all they're worth. When we get back to Berk, we'll give Hiccup…" She paused, swallowing thickly. "A proper...a proper funeral…"

The only reason she wasn't torn apart by this realization was because at the moment, her fury was blinding her sorrow. Her shock was overwhelming her reality. All she knew, at this moment, was blind, furious hatred towards Dagur, and all she wanted to do was see Dagur's dead body at her feet.

As horrible as it was, it was the truth nonetheless.

"Dagur is going to pay," Astrid hissed. "He is going to _pay_ …"

The other riders felt exactly the same; too overwhelmed by anger and malice that they couldn't think about the cruel words, _Hiccup is dead._ They couldn't mourn yet, because the reality hadn't set in.

"We're busting out of here," said Astrid, getting to her feet, "and when we do, Dagur is going to be sorry. He's going to regret making us his enemies. He's going to regret what he did to Hiccup."

The other riders stood beside her, nodding in agreement.

"Now," said Astrid, turning to face the others, "we plot our escape. Are you with me?"

"We're with you," said Snotlout.

"For Hiccup," said Fishlegs.

"For Hiccup," Snotlout and the twins repeated in unison.

"All right," said Astrid. "In that case, does anyone have any ideas?"

For a few moments, no one said anything, thinking up all possible schemes. And then, finally, someone spoke. Ruffnut took off her helmet, looked at for a moment, and then, she grinned. "I think I have one," she said.

"Great!" said Astrid. "What is it?"

...

To say Hiccup was having a bad day would have been the biggest underestimate of the year. As if Dagur holding him and Toothless captive hadn't been bad enough, now, his _friends_ had gone after Dagur, and they were, no doubt, either fighting him off or held captive by him. There was no between.

"Come on, Toothless, faster!" Hiccup pressed, and Toothless, eyes narrowed in determination, soared on towards their destination, towards Dagur's ship, where the other dragons and riders awaited, captured or fighting.

Hiccup and Toothless continued over the ocean. The waves were tumultuous, like they usually were in this part of the sea. Hiccup licked his finger and held it above his head.

"There's no wind, bud," said Hiccup, lowering his hand, "which means Dagur couldn't have gotten too ahead of us..." Toothless grunted his agreement, and Hiccup continued to search the sea around them, looking for any sign of Dagur's lone ship.

...

Astrid pulled Ruffnut's horn off her helmet and stuck her hands outside the bars, jabbing the very tip of the horn into the lock sealing the door shut. She turned and stabbed the horn, trying to pick the lock and set themselves free, but so far, it wasn't working.

"Come on, Astrid, hurry!" pressed Fishlegs urgently. "Who knows when Dagur will send men down to make sure we aren't trying to escape!"

"I'm going as fast as I can, Fishlegs!" said Astrid, but she moved faster anyways, frantically trying to break themselves free. "Come on, come on, come _on,_ just break, please just break…"

And finally, somehow, miraculously, the lock opened, and the door of the cell swung ajar.

Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs stood gaping at it for a few moments.

"I can't believe that actually worked," said Snotlout flatly.

"Come on!" said Astrid, rushing from the cage and kicking the door open the rest of the way. "Smash the rest of the locks! We're getting out of here!"

Hanging on a wall nearby was a shield, and on the shield were two axes, no doubt used as a trophy. Astrid ran and yanked one off the wall; Snotlout ran and pulled the second one off as well, and with their weapons, they raced towards the doors of their dragons' cells.

On Astrid's way to Stormfly's cell, she smashed Meatlug's lock, and Fishlegs raced into the Gronckle's cage to begin undoing the shackles and muzzle.

"I'm happy to see you too, Meatlug!" said Fishlegs, embracing Meatlug when she licked him joyously.

Snotlout smashed Hookfang's lock and, with another four swings of the axe, freed the dragon's wings, jaw, and legs from shackles, chains, and muzzles. Hookfang roared, triumphant, and raced from his damp cage.

"You're welcome!" said Snotlout, grinning, and he tossed the axe to Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who caught it out of the air and freed their own dragon, Barf and Belch.

Meanwhile, Astrid smashed the lock of Stormfly's cage and swung it open; Stormfly growled at her excitedly, and Astrid wasted no time in snapping the shackles, yanking the muzzle from the dragon's face, and finally, smashing the chains coiled around Stormfly's wings. She freed Stormfly's tail from another shackle, and once Stormfly was free, she spread her wings and roared, victorious.

"Now come on, Stormfly!" said Astrid, motioning for her dragon to follow her. "Let's go give Dagur a piece of our minds!"

Stormfly growled her agreement, and Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and their dragons raced towards the steps leading to the upper deck of the ship.

"This is for you, Hiccup," Astrid whispered, and she ran with all the more vigor.

…

Dagur overlooked the ocean, up at the sky, searching for a sign of _something_ , though the rest of his crew didn't know what it was. Finally, Savage approached, wringing his hands together, wondering whether or not he should risk speaking to the deranged Berserker Chief.

"Um...sire?" said Savage, and when Dagur didn't turn around and screech at him, Savage took it was leave to continue. "Some of the crew...not me, of course, I am much too loyal to you to question your integrity...but some of the crew, remember, not me, were wondering what you're looking for?"

Dagur sighed heavily, more of a groan than anything, and lowered his spyglass. "Are you really _that_ oblivious, Savage?" said Dagur.

Savage hesitated. "...Is that a trick question, sire?"

Dagur grit his teeth. "We have Hiccup's friends in our dungeons," said Dagur, and he grinned. "And you know what Hiccup will do as soon as he realizes his friends aren't back at their little dragon base."

Savage paused, pondering...and then, once he came to the realization, he grinned. "He'll come right back here to rescue them," said Savage. "Ah, I see it now, sire."

"Yes," said Dagur, "because in the end, no matter what happens, Hiccup's loyalty is always to his friends. He cares more about them then he does himself, and it's going to be his downfall."

He raised his spyglass, and then, he grinned. He could see Hiccup and Toothless, just on the horizon, flying towards their ship at full speed.

"Oh, yes," Dagur said, grinning more fiendishly than ever. "Downfall _indeed_. Archers! Men! Focus all your attention to the South! As soon as the Night Fury is in range, fire all you have!"

The men nodded instantly and began working.

"Sire, shouldn't we check on the prisoners?" asked one Berserker, approaching Dagur steadily.

Dagur paused, pondering. "I don't think that's necessary," he said. "Without their leader, Hiccup's dragon riders are useless. Dare question me again, and I'll have your head."

"Right, sir," said the Berserker apologetically, bowing and stepping backwards. "Of course, sir. Sorry, sir…"

The soldier didn't get the chance to say anything else, because the hatch leading below the decks suddenly flew open, and out of the hatch ran Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, and their dragons.

And they were _furious_.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys! Once again, sorry it took me longer than I had hoped to get this chapter out. I'm going to have to take on shout-outs NEXT chapter, just because my email isn't working and I'm going to get off the computer in a moment to avoid future migraines, but anyways, here's chapter 7, and I'll do shout-outs next chapter!**

 **Oh, and a little tidbit before I go: there will be more rider and Hiccup fluffiness in the next chapter. I couldn't put a lot in this chapter because...well, reasons, but there will be more in the next chapter, SO DON'T GET MAD AT ME OKAY I KNOW YOU ALL WANT AN ADORABLE REUNION ALRIGHT CASE CLOSED. :D Enjoy chapter 7! :D**

* * *

A swing of an axe.

A slash of a sword.

The roar of a dragon.

The battle had commenced aboard Dagur's ship. Astrid fought as though she were as mentally deranged as Dagur, swinging and slashing with every chance she got with the axe she had used below the decks. Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut were quick to find weapons of their own along the decks of the ship and use them against upcoming attackers.

All in all, it was insane. Fishlegs and Snotlout ran against three Berserkers, tackling them to the ground at the same time, while the twins ran, backflipped off the mast of the ship, and came down, knocking over Berserker after Berserker, one after the other.

Meanwhile, the dragons used everything they had, firing and shooting at the Berserkers who dared come at them. One hunter with a large net was able to capture Meatlug, and Meatlug struggled helplessly.

"Haha!" laughed the Berserker tauntingly, pointing his sword at the dragon's face. "Gotcha!"

The Berserker didn't get the chance to say anything else before Stormfly's swinging tail caught him in the ribs and knocked him overboard. Hookfang yanked the rope off Meatlug, and Meatlug roared at the two dragons in gratitude.

The twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs worked together to fight, while Astrid took faced Dagur head-on, axe raised dangerously. Dagur watched her for a moment, then, glanced at the catapults. They weren't being manded by his men anymore...and Hiccup and Toothless were still approaching from the sky…

There was no way they would be able to shoot Hiccup and Toothless down, and Dagur knew it. In his distraction, however, Astrid pounced, knocking him to the ground. Her axe dug into his throat, only slightly, and her furious, hate-filled eyes bore into his.

"Any last words?" she seethed dangerously.

She didn't see Dagur as Dagur at this point: now, the only thing she saw him as was a murderer, and more importantly, _Hiccup's_ murderer. Justice would have him die anyways; what would it matter if she killed him at this point?

Dagur met her eyes.

Then, his gaze flickered upwards, ever so slightly.

And he gasped.

" _NIGHT FURY!"_ screeched a nearby Berserker.

Astrid looked up.

Toothless soared overhead in a barrel-roll, wings tucked close to his sides, and with a _BOOM!_ , a plasma blast shot through the sail of the ship, leaving a wide, burning hole in its wake. A few of the more cowardly Berserkers screamed and leapt overboard, while the braver ones kept their wits about them.

Dagur grumbled under his breath. "Why does Hiccup always have to make a production out of _everything?"_ he muttered furiously.

Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins had heard the plasma blast, and they looked up at the jet-black dragon and his rider in shock.

"HICCUP!?" blurted Snotlout, sounding unbelievably hopeful and shocked both at once. "HICCUP!"

"He's ALIVE!" shouted Tuffnut, absentmindedly knocking a Berserker unconscious with his eyes glued to the sky. "He came back from the dead! _I_ want to come back from the dead! How does it work!?"

"Why does _Hiccup_ get to do all the cool stuff?" said Ruffnut.

Astrid's heart leapt into her throat.

 _Hiccup_.

But how…?

Hiccup leapt off Toothless' back when the Night Fury circled back around, and Hiccup tackled two Berserkers to the ground, knocking them unconscious instantly. He swung around, sword drawn, meeting the blow of another Berserker.

Astrid was so shocked she couldn't move. Dagur used this to his advantage, and he threw her off him, knocking her to the side. She bashed her head against the side of the ship, and for a few moments, sparks danced before her eyes.

When her vision finally cleared, she looked up. Dagur towered over her, axe raised over his head.

"Any last words, _Astrid?"_ he taunted, throwing her own words against her.

Astrid's axe was nowhere to be seen. She was defenseless. She raised her arms up to shield her face…

Just as Dagu began to bring the axe down, Hiccup rammed into him, shoving him roughly to the ground. Astrid jerked her hands down from her face, staring at Hiccup. Teeth gritted, Hiccup glared murderously at Dagur, and then, he turned to Astrid.

He dropped his aggressive stance immediately and held his hand out to her, grinning goofily. "Afternoon, m'lady," he said. "Need a hand?"

She stared at him, hardly daring to move. This couldn't have been a hallucination. His hair was messy, like it always was, but the two small braids she had weaved were still as tight as ever. He never took them out. And his deep, analyzing eyes, bearing into hers hopefully, waiting for her to take his hand...and he was smiling stupidly at her, like he always did…

How could this _not_ be Hiccup?

She reached out slowly, not daring to hope, and put her hand in his. His warm hand closed firmly around hers, and he pulled her to her feet. She stared at him, swallowing.

"Are you okay?" he finally asked, drawing back and switching sword-hands; Astrid wished he hadn't pulled away so quickly. "Astrid." He grabbed her shoulder and shook her. "Are. You. Okay?"

She swallowed again. "I...I thought you were dead," she blurted, before she could stop herself.

Hiccup looked at her. His smile slowly faded. "What?"

She couldn't stop herself. She surged forward, kissed him, and embraced him tightly. He was real. He wasn't dead. Dagur had lied. Astrid should have known it. She _should have._

But it didn't matter anymore, because now she knew that Dagur had lied, and Hiccup was okay. He was fine. He was _alive_.

The battle around them became real once again, and a Berserker charged at Hiccup and Astrid, just as Astrid, all took soon, broke the hug.. Hiccup instantly took on defense, parrying with the Berserker while Astrid raced to grab her axe. When Dagur threw her, it had flown out of her grip and embedded itself in one of the wooden floorboards of the ship. She ran, yanked it from the wood, and hurried back to help Hiccup.

She bashed the Berserker upside the head as he raised his weapon, and the enemy soldier crumpled to the ground in a heap.

"Dagur said you were _dead_ ," said Astrid, moving back towards him as he knocked out a third Berserker. "He...he said…"

Hiccup was torn between killing Dagur for deceiving Astrid, for making her believe a lie, and killing Dagur for everything else the madman had done.

"Astrid, he lied!" said Hiccup. "It's alright! We're both alright! But right now, we need to focus on getting out of here! Any ideas?"

Astrid took a moment to think, knocking a Berserker to the deck of the ship absentmindedly. Then, suddenly, her mind turned back to the Clubhouse, days ago, when she and the others reenacted the history of Berk…

"Hiccup the Second!" said Astrid. "That's what we'll do!"

Hiccup frowned, knocking another Berserker to the side. Across from him, Toothless lunged at Berserker after Berserker, sending many unconscious and even more overboard.

"Hiccup the Second?" said Hiccup. "And how exactly does that…" He froze, suddenly realizing. "Oh," he said, and then, a second time, _"Ooooh,_ I get it!"

Astrid nodded, and she and Hiccup tore between attacking Berserkers, towards Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut. Behind them, Dagur stood and, narrowing his eyes, chased after them.

"Snotlout!" Hiccup shouted, cupping a hand around his mouth, and Snotlout whirled around to stare at Hiccup.

"Oh, great!" said Snotlout, grinning. "Someone punch my lights out! I'm obviously seeing things!"

"Whoa...I didn't know ghosts could be this solid," said Tuffnut, stepping forward. "It's like I can reach out and touch it…" He pressed his hand against Hiccup's chest, and then, he gasped. "My Thor! I _can_ reach out and touch it! I always thought hands went through ghosts…"

Hiccup swatted Tuffnut's hand away and shook his head. "I never died, Tuffnut!" he said. "Dagur was lying!"

"Oh, Hiccup, I'm so glad you're okay!" cried Fishlegs, racing forward, but Hiccup put out his hands to stop him.

"I'm glad I'm okay, too," said Hiccup, "but we still have to get out of here, and Astrid and I have a plan."

Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked at each other. Then, they turned their eyes to the remaining Berserkers, approaching with weapons drawn and at the ready.

"We're all ears," said Ruffnut.

…

Dagur strode between his Berserkers, shoving them out of his way so he could near his opponents. "Looks like you've lost, Hiccup!" Dagur sang, as his men parted so he could walk between them. "You might as well give up-"

He stopped suddenly when he reached the dragon riders.

Snotlout lunged forward with a sword, straight towards Hiccup, and Snotlout plunged his weapon forward.

To the Berserkers, it looked as though Snotlout had just impaled their leader with a sword…

...when in reality, Snotlout had simply slid the sword between Hiccup's arm and side.

"Make it convincing this time, Hiccup," Snotlout whispered in Hiccup's ear, and he yanked back the sword.

Hiccup feigned pain easily, clutching his stomach and stumbling backwards. He had to duck his head lowly to keep from smiling.

" _NO!"_ screamed Astrid, trying to make herself sound as desperate and hurt as possible. " _WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"_ she shouted at Snotlout, and she raced forward, catching Hiccup as he fell backwards, hands still over his stomach, eyes sliding shut.

Snotlout stared down at his sword. If the Berserkers had been paying attention, they may have noticed that no blood coated the blade, but at the moment, they were too confused and shocked to see that. Snotlout dropped the sword and stumbled backwards.

Then, he narrowed his eyes and jabbed a finger at Tuffnut. "YOU!" he shouted. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU TALKED ME INTO IT! _YOU'RE_ THE ONE TO BLAME!"

"No I'm not!" shouted Tuffnut, and then, he pointed at the Berserkers. _"THEY_ are!"

The Berserkers were so confused it was commical. Even Dagur seemed a bit dumbstruck by the situation, trying to decide whether or not Snotlout had really just stabbed Hiccup, and after that, what he should do about the situation.

"Wait for the signal…" Fishlegs whispered to Ruffnut. "And…"

Astrid stood up, turning and pointing her axe at the Berserkers. "TO DEATH WITH DAGUR THE DERANGED!" she shouted angrily. "SLAY THEM! _SLAY THEM!_ "

The dragon riders charged at the Berserkers, and the Berserkers met them in battle. Meanwhile, Hiccup, supposedly "dead" to the Berserkers, stood up, put two fingers in his mouth, and whistled loudly. Instantly, Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, Barf, Belch, and Toothless raced from the Berserkers they had been fighting and to where Hiccup stood.

"Come on!" Hiccup shouted. "Everyone! Let's go!"

The dragon riders turned and ran for their dragons, leaving the Berserkers behind. Hiccup mounted Toothless, Astrid mounted Stormfly, and Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut mounted Meatlug, Hookfang, and Barf and Belch.

The dragons took to the sky, out of the range of catapults, crossbows, and bola launchers. Dagur watched them leave, teeth gritted in fury, hand clutched around his axe.

 _"THIS ISN'T OVER, HICCUP!"_ shouted Dagur. _"YOU MAY HAVE WON THE BATTLE, BUT YOU HAVEN'T WON THE WAR!"_


	8. Chapter 8

**HELLO AMAZIES! :D DRAGONITES UNITE! :D THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER! :D Read the end author's notes to see what's up next for the B seasons! :D I love you all! Shout-outs:**

 **Crystallion12: Hahaha, yep, love on the battlefield! XD**

 **Martyn: Not a bad idea! :D Thanks! :)**

 **Animals Rule: Awesome! :D Look at the author's notes at the bottom of the page; I explain it there. :)**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Yeah, oh well. At least they made it out alive! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: Thanks! :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Hahaha, thanks! I had a lot of fun with that scene! :D**

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 **SnivyDragon: Thank you! :D I was looking forward to writing that scene ever since the first chapter, so I'm glad so many people seemed to enjoy it! :D Thanks! :D HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! :D**

 **la-hija-de-Dios: Yep! The hand-thing will definitely show itself in all its glory! :D And thanks a bunch! I had so much fun with this story! :D**

 **Toothless801: Aw, thank you so much! :D I'm so glad you liked it! I love putting little nods to the books in my fanfictions, just because I love the books, and I love the movies. They're both amazing. :D Thanks! :D I love Hiccstrid! :D :D :D**

* * *

Back at the Edge, Hiccup was doodling, sketching out different gears to put on his Dragonfly Two. Toothless curled at his feet, snoring, and other than that, the Clubhouse was silent.

The doors suddenly swung open, and Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs stepped inside, trailed by their dragons. Hiccup looked up from his work at them curiously, shutting his notebook when they approached.

"Hey, guys," he said. "What's up?"

"Well," said Snotlout, twiddling his thumbs, which was very uncharacteristic of him, "I was going to say...um...you know, I've…" He looked to the twins, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut shook their heads.

"Don't look at us," said Ruffnut. "We aren't going to help you with this one."

Hiccup swallowed. "Guys," he said, setting down his notebook, "if you lit your hut on fire again, just tell me."

"No!" said Snotlout. "We didn't! I just wanted to say...I'm sorry."

Hiccup blinked. "Who are you and what have you done with Snotlout?"

"I'm serious!" protested Snotlout. "I don't think I've ever actually said that to you before, you know? And...I sort of just realized recently how much I take advantage of you, Hiccup. I know you're a push-over, and I kind of...well...I used to take advantage of that. But not anymore! For an entire month, _Snotlout_ will take the night patrol around the Edge!" He jabbed his thumb into his chest importantly.

"Hey, no fair!" said Tuffnut. "Ruffnut and I were going to take the night shifts! We agreed that _you_ would be the one to get the meals for the month!"

"What? No we didn't!" said Snotlout. "I was the night shift, and you were the meals!"

"I don't remember that!" said Ruffnut. "Is this another one of your riddles? 'Cause it won't work on us!"

"Guys!" Hiccup said, getting to his feet and putting himself between Snotlout and the twins before they decided to tackle each other. "What's this all about!? You hate taking the night shifts, and you hate bringing in the meals!"

"Well, _yeah_ ," said Snotlout, "but...well…" He suddenly became very frustrated, and he spun around to face Fishlegs, who hadn't said anything since entering the Clubhouse. "Fishlegs, you say it! I'm not good at stuff wording!"

"You mean wording stuff?" said Ruffnut.

Snotlout crossed his arms. "Point made!"

"Hiccup," said Fishlegs, "what they're... _we're_...trying to say is, when Dagur, you know, told us he killed you...it put a few things into perspective."

"Exactly!" said Snotlout. "We realized just what it would be like if you weren't around, and how that would feel, and...I don't want it to happen again! So there! The twins and I will be taking the night shifts, and the meal shifts, for the next month!"

Hiccup frowned. He didn't quite know what to say. "Well, thanks, guys," he said, "but you don't have to-"

"Of course we don't," said Snotlout, "but we kind of _want_ to, you know? For the sake of our consciences."

"True that," said Tuffnut, nodding. "I didn't even know I _had_ a conscience until a few hours ago."

"Thanks," said Hiccup, and now, he smiled. "I appreciate it." He paused, looking around, noticing that someone was missing.

"Where's Astrid?" he asked.

…

Astrid was in the training arena, throwing her axe at targets while Stormfly waited nearby, cheering her rider on with enthusiastic chirps and trills. Astrid was missing nearly every target she aimed at. Her mind would stray, she would lose focus, and then, her aim would be so off it was pathetic.

After one of her poorer throws, she smacked her palm against her forehead, wishing she could focus. Then, she heard uneven footsteps behind her, and she spun around to face whoever had entered the training arena.

It was Hiccup, and he approached her somewhat cautiously, because he knew how dangerous she could be when she was training. Astrid sighed heavily, and went to retrieve her axe.

"Hey, Astrid," said Hiccup casually.

"Hey," said Astrid, pulling back her arm and throwing the axe; she missed the target again, and stomped her foot in frustration.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked, as she stormed to retrieve her axe for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Astrid, throwing the axe again, and once more, her aim was off, and she groaned loudly, furious at herself. But when she moved forward to grab the axe, Hiccup put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Astrid, something's wrong," said Hiccup. "I know you too well."

Astrid sighed heavily and spun to face him. His hand dropped from her shoulder. "I thought you were dead, okay?" she said sharply. "Dagur told us he killed you, and we…"

"You believed it," said Hiccup.

Astrid groaned. "It's stupid," she said. "I shouldn't have believed him, especially after everything, but...Hiccup, I…" She paused, her anger lowering. "I never thought...I can't help thinking...what if he _hadn't_ been lying?"

She spun back and tried to retrieve her axe, but Hiccup caught her wrist, once again halting her. She twirled around to face him, anger rising once again.

" _What?"_ she demanded.

Wordlessly, Hiccup embraced her.

She stiffened instantly. She was furious, partly at herself, and partly at Hiccup, but the fury was slowly receding. No matter how hard she tried, she really couldn't be truly angry with Hiccup. She'd be mad at him, yes, but it wouldn't last long.

She embraced him back, anger collapsing into sorrow, and she realized just what losing Hiccup would mean. She had been realizing, these past few days, slowly but surely, but now, it hit her all at once what it would truly mean to lose Hiccup forever.

She wouldn't be able to cope.

Ever.

And Hiccup must have realized this, too, because he hugged her tighter, and she, in response, tightened her embrace.

"I don't want to lose you," she said.

"I know," Hiccup said. "I don't want to lose you, either."

All too soon, it seemed, they pulled back. Hiccup took her hands in his, and she glanced down, suddenly noticing something she hadn't before.

"Hiccup, your arm," she said.

Hiccup glanced down; Astrid took his wrist and rolled up his sleeve. White bandages were wrapped around his forearm.

"Oh, yeah," Hiccup said, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand Astrid wasn't currently holding. "One of Dagur's arrows grazed me when I circled the ship on our way out. But...it's not bad. Really."

Astrid released his hand and shook her head. "You really can be an idiot, you know that, right?"

"Of course I do," said Hiccup. "You tell me every so often." He smiled at her, and she smiled back at him, though tentatively.

"So," she said, finally retrieving her axe and swinging it over her shoulder, "don't scare me like that again, alright?"

"Alright," said Hiccup, putting up his hands defensively. "I won't. I promise."

Astrid smiled, more genuinely this time, and watched him leave the arena. She raised her axe, narrowed her eyes, and swung her arm.

The axe sank into the target.

Bullseye.

…

Dagur paced the decks of his ship; two of his Berserkers were repairing the damage done to the sail of the warship while the rest of the Berserkers gathered their salvageable weapons, bolas, and catapult boulders to be stored below the decks.

Dagur suddenly stepped on something, and he looked down to see what it was. It was a single crossbow arrow, and something red coated the arrowhead. Dagur frowned and bent down, reaching to grab it.

"We've lost, Dagur," said Savage, stepping up behind the Chief of the Berserkers, just as Dagur bent down.

Dagur raised the arrowhead, examined it, and grinned. "No we didn't, Savage," he said, smiling. A small splotch of fresh blood coated the arrowhead. "One of them was hit."

Savage stepped forward, looked at the arrow, and smiled. "Well, I'll be darned," he said. "What a crazy amount of luck."

"The arrow must have been shot straight upwards," said Dagur. "Which is why it landed back here. Now, let's see...which dragon was the first to take air?"

"Um...that would be Hiccup, Dagur," said Savage.

"And," said Dagur, "Hiccup was the only one to circle the ship while the rest of his little dragon riders headed back to their base. Is that true?"

"Yes, sir," said Savage, and he smiled. "It is."

Dagur grinned. "Hiccup was hit," he said, and then, he raised his head to the sky, where the dragons and their riders had disappeared hours before.

"Ooooh, yes, brother," said Dagur, cackling maniacally. "This is _far_ from over."

* * *

 **What's Next for "Race to the Edge" Fanfiction Season 1B?**

 **First of all, I want to say THANK YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH for all of your support on this and other stories! Your support keeps me writing, it really, really does, so thanks a bunch! I'm glad you all enjoyed this story, and I hope the episodes to come are equally enjoyable! :D**

 **Anyways, I don't think I'm going to be posting anymore season 1B episodes until I've finished season 3B, just because season 3B is going to take some planning out. Rumors have it that Season 3 of Race to the Edge will appear on Netflix JULY 15TH. That's what the rumors say. Whether or not it's true remain to be seen.**

 **So, you won't see anymore Season 1B episodes until Season 3B has been posted! :D I hope you guys enjoy it! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


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